Impact of COVID-19 on post-graduate orthopaedic training in Delhi-NCR

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had profound effects on healthcare system including medical training and education in India. The study was aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on post-graduate teaching and learning amongst candidates pursuing higher qualification in orthopaedics, in the Delhi-National Capital Region in India. DESIGN: An online cross-sectional survey of 29 questions was circulated amongst post-graduate students pursuing higher orthopaedics degree to evaluate (i) Impact on PG teaching (ii) Impact on surgical training (iii) Impact on Dissertation (iv) Future implications on PG training programme (v) Mental wellbeing. RESULTS: 138 (77.5) PG trainees contributed in the survey, and 65.1% of them stated that no clinical classes are being held presently. The majority (94%) confirmed that COVID-19 has affected their surgical and clinical training. A large number (71.6%) had problems in completing their dissertations and 96% had concerns about mental health. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the education and training of the Orthopaedic PG students, in Delhi-NCR region and perhaps elsewhere similarly too. The Government and Teaching organisations should take serious consideration of the plights of PGs and devise satisfactory mechanisms to overcome their problems and provide reasonable solutions also.